Psalm 107:1

“Give thanks to the Lord, for

he is good; his love endures

forever.”

In 1620, the Pilgrims traveled overseas

on the Mayflower from England to the

new land. Their ship landed on Plym-

outh Rock, where they built their houses

and Church. They arrived during winter,

so it was cold and the ground was thick

with snow. Since there wasn’t enough

food to feed everyone, half the popula-

tion grew sick and died by the end of the

season.

Those that survived became

friends with the Native Indians. One

particular Indian, Squanto, lived with

the Pilgrims and showed them how to

plant their corns, peas, wheat, and bar-

ley.

When autumn arrived the fol-

lowing year, the Pilgrims gathered what

they planted. Their crops had grown so

well that they would have enough food

to last them through the winter. A leader

of the colony gathered everyone togeth-

er for a feast and said to the people “Let

us thank God for it all. It is He who has

made the sun shine and the rain fall and

the corns grow.”

This was the first Thanksgiving

celebrated by the Pilgrims in New Eng-

land, and this tradition has continued for

nearly 400 years.

Issue 4

November 2011

Thiếu Nhi

Fundraising: Rake

Leaves

(November 12)

Nghĩa Sĩ & Hiệp Sĩ

Visit Nursing Home

& Thanksgiving Din-

ner

(November 19th)

Thanksgiving MASS

Nov. 24 @10:00AM

Thanksgiving

Holiday

(November 27th) No Class

Important Dates for

November

Congrats to the following...

Recite the most Rosary for October

Au Nhi: Victoria Dương Từơng Vân

Thieu Nhi: Agnes Nguyễn Julie

Nghia Si: Gioan Nguyễn Chí-Thiện

Hiep Si: Maria Teresa Cynthia Vân

Anh Nguyễn

Thăng Cấp Huynh Trưởng Cấp I

Tr. Anna Nguyễn Liễu

Tr. Giuse Trần Ngọc Huy

Tr. Giuse Trần Định Hiến

Tr. Đominico Hoàng Vương Quốc

Tr. Martino Trần Định Phúc

Today most of us celebrate this tradition in a

similar fashion; we would have a great feast

with our family members and close friends,

then sleep or stay awake to go shopping early

the following morning. We are all truly

blessed to have a home, friends, family,

clothes to wear, games to play, and food to

eat. But there are still many people out there

in the world that don’t have any of this. They

are suffering everyday.

All Saints Day

Word Search Activity

C I N I M O D C E A B T U E S

V S Z S E P E S N N R C P R E

A Y I R A C E J I N I B I O N

D N A C I M O T R E D S H D G

E L T L N S O K E B G T X I A

C N I H E A C H H R E E E S J

T A I P O I R A T B T U M I R

U H H T R N K F A N I T R A M

G Z E T S J Y Z C H Z Y E M H

E Y A R O U I B E N E D I C T

O P C H E L G S T E P H E N L

R Q N U E S O U H E L E N M U

G Y E L L R E X A E D U J I A

E T T E D A N R E B G U H Y P

B K P Y Z L I G L X Q M K G F

Find the

following

Saints names:

AGNES ANNE ANTHONY AUGUSTINE BENEDICT BERNADETTE BRIDGET CATHERINE CECILIA CLARE DOMINIC ELIZABETH FRANCIS GEORGE

HELEN ISIDORE

JOHN JOSEPH JUDE LUCY MARTIN PATRICK PAUL PETER ROSE STEPHEN THERESE THOMAS

During this season, we as Doan Emmanuel are

working together to help the homeless, the

poor, and hungry by having a canned food

drive. I ask that all of you share what you have

with the less fortunate, and especially pray for

them. If you cannot donate a lot of canned

food, even one can make a difference. Last year

we raised about 400 cans, so this year let’s try

reaching 700 cans since we have more mem-

bers. Show the community and the church how

much we care and how much we want to help

those that are suffering during this holiday.

This Thanksgiving I would like to thank God

for having a wonderful Doan Thieu Nhi with

great kids that know how to love their neigh-

bors.

Tr. Từơng Long

TRỞ NÊN THÁNH

Chúng ta đang bước vào tháng 11, tháng

mà Giáo Hội Hoàn Vũ mời gọi mỗi người Kitô

hữu cùng hiệp ý dâng lời ngợi khen và tạ ơn

Thiên Chúa vì Người đã ban cho chúng ta rất

nhiều các vị Thánh Nam Nữ. Các Ngài là những

chứng nhân của Chúa Giêsu Kitô. Vì thế, Giáo

Hội long trọng mời gọi tất cả Kitô Hữu hãy tưởng

nhớ và hiệp thông với các Ngài đễ mỗi người

chúng ta biết noi gương các Ngài để trở nên

thánh. Cuộc đời của mỗi người chúng ta là một

hành trình về nước Chúa và để đạt được mục tiêu

đó, chúng ta được mời gọi nên thánh.

Các vị Thánh mà chúng ta kính nhớ là

những người đã giúp ta thấy dung nhan của Thiên

Chúa. Một Thiên Chúa tràn đầy tha thứ và tình

thương. Vì yêu thương nhân loại mà Ngôi Hai,

Chúa Giêsu Kitô, đã dám bỏ ngai vàng của Ngài

để xuống thế làm người. Không chỉ dừng ở đó,

Chúa Giêsu còn mặc lấy cho mình một thân phận

hèn mọn và Ngài còn chấp nhận hy sinh chịu

đựng cái chết nhục nhã trên Thánh Giá để cứu

chuộc và mang lại sự sống cho nhân loại. Nhìn lại

cuộc đời của các vị Thánh, ta khám phá ra rằng,

các Ngài là những người đã biết “lắng nghe và

tuân giữ lời Thiên Chúa.” (Lc 11:28) Đễ có thể

lắng nghe và thực hành lời Chúa, chắc chắn các

Ngài đã tuân giữ hai điều răn quan trọng nhất đó

là “mến Chúa và yêu người.” (Mt 22:37-39) Tình

yêu là dung nhan của Thiên Chúa và đó củng là

nền tảng để trở nên thánh. Chỉ có tình yêu mới có

sự hy sinh, tha thứ, và đón nhận tất cả. Tình yêu là

từ bỏ chính mình để đón nhận người khác.

Mỗi vị Thánh là mỗi con người đã cố gắng

ghi sâu trong lòng của mình hình ảnh Chúa Giêsu

Kitô. Các Thánh là những người đã cố gắng noi

theo Chúa Giêsu qua việc tuân giữ lời Chúa và

thực hành những gì Chúa dậy. Các Ngài là những

người đã đáp trả lời mời gọi nên thánh của Chúa

qua lòng sốt mến Thiên Chúa và yêu mến tha

nhân. Nhờ các vị Thánh mà chúng ta có thể cảm

được vị hương thơm của nước Chúa. Cũng vậy,

các Thánh là những người làm cho đời sống của

chúng ta tràn trề hy vọng, đáng sống và có ý nghĩa

hơn.

Vì vậy trong tháng 11 này, chúng ta không

thể quên lời mời gọi nên thánh mà Chúa gửi đến

mỗi người Kitô Hữu. Phải nhìn nhận rằng nhiều

khi chúng ta đã quên đi lời mời gọi ấy hoặc đã có

cố gắng nhưng chúng ta chưa thực sự đáp trà lời

mời gọi đó. Tuy vậy chúng ta hãy cảm tạ Thiên

Chúa vì Ngài đã ban cho chúng ta các vị Thánh để

chúng ta bắt chước và noi gương các Ngài. Chúng

ta hãy cầu xin với các Thánh Nam Nữ để nhờ lời

chuyển cầu của các Ngài mà giúp mỗi người chúng

ta dám đáp trả lời mời gọi nên Thánh mà Chúa gửi

đến cho mỗi người.

Để đáp trả lời mời gọi đó, trong tháng 11

này, chúng ta không chỉ hiệp thông với các Thánh

trên trời mà đồng thời chúng ta cũng được kêu gọi

cầu nguyện cho các linh hồn còn đang trong luyện

ngục. Rất nhiều các linh hồn ấy không ai khác

chính là người thân, bạn hữu, và ân nhân của

chúng ta. Để bày tỏ tình thương của chúng ta đối

với các linh hồn ấy, chúng ta hãy nhớ đến họ qua

lời kinh nguyện hằng ngày, đặc biệt trong tháng 11

này. Bởi khi chúng ta cầu nguyện là khi các linh

hồn được hưởng ân sủng Thiên Chúa.

Nguyện xin Chúa, nhờ lời chuyển cầu của

Mẹ Hằng Cứu Giúp và các Thánh, ban cho mỗi

người chúng ta luôn sống với tinh thần yêu thương

đối với những người còn sống cũng như những

người đã qua đời để qua đó mỗi người chúng ta có

thể trở nên thánh và làm chứng nhân cho Thiên

Chúa.

Thầy Lâm

After receiving my khan quang, I feel like I

have accomplished something important for myself

that I have set out to do. Even though it is not the

end, I feel like this is a big accomplishment that I

was always meant to achieve. I never thought that I

would have the opportunity to become a Huynh Tru-

ong and that is the reason why it means so much to

me. I feel like I have become closer to God and to

the church that helped me grow as a child. I know

that the purpose for me to get my khan quang is to

serve the youth and to grow spiritually so I will con-

tinue to do so.

Tr. Huy

SAINTS TRIVIA

This female Saint is a Doctor of the Church and often

considered the greatest modern-day saint. Hailing

from France, she was only 24 when she succumbed to

tuberculosis on September 30, 1897. She is patron

saint of missionaries and Russia. She is known as the

Little Flower.

A. Saint Joan of Arch

B. Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha

C. Saint Clare of Assisi

D. Saint Therese of Lisieux

This male saint is one of the twelve apostles of Jesus.

He is a brother of another apostle and one of the Sons

of Thunder. He is known as the Beloved Disciple. He

survived all the other apostles and lived until the year

100.

A. Saint John the Apostle

B. Saint Peter

C. Saint Andrew

D. Saint Jude

The Catholic Church traditionally considers the

Blessed Virgin Mary the Highest of all saints.

A. True

B. False

This saint is a true warrior having battled for her coun-

try with a sign reading, “Jesus, Mary.” She is patron

saint of France having lived from 1412 to 1431.

A. Saint Joan of Arc

B. Saint Catherine of Alexandria

C. Saint Margaret of Antioch

D. Saint Teresa of Avila

He is the patron saint of Bible scholars and students. A

Doctor of the Church, he reportedly drew a thorn from

a lion’s paw. The lion stayed loyal at his side for

years. This occurred a long time ago around 347 to

419 A.D.

A. Saint Jerome

B. Saint Thomas

C. Saint Damasus

D. Saint George

Saint Michael led the army of God against the uprising

of Lucifer. This Archangel’s name means, Who is like

God? Saint Michael is the guardian and protector of

the Church. He is the patron saint of police officers,

grocers, paratroopers, bankers and sickness. His feast

day is September 29.

A. True

B. False

To me earning my khan quang means that I

have accomplished a goal of being committed to cac

em and to Doan. In earning my khan I feel that I

have an obligation to the kids and to doan to be in-

volved and give my talents and time in whatever

way that is beneficial to both. I’ve heard about situa-

tions where someone comes to church and goes to

sinh hoat every week only to stop once they get their

khan, like it’s an end goal. I feel that getting my

khan is just the beginning. It shows that I have what

it takes to have the privilege of being called a

Huynh Truong and I am so happy to be able to wear

my khan proudly. With that, I know that I still have

a lot to learn and do on my journey of becoming a

servant of God.

Tr. Hiến

This female saint is known for protecting her convent

against attackers with the Sacrament in a monstrance

before a convent gate. She successfully protected her

convent and her emblem is herself holding a monstrance.

She loved music and is the patron saint of television, for

seeing Mass on a wall when she could not attend.

A. Saint Cecilia

B. Saint Clare

C. Saint Catherine

D. Saint Dymphna

This Blessed man lived in the 17th century and is the

founder of the marian Clerics of the Immaculate Concep-

tion of the Virgin Mary. He was beautified in 2008 on

September 16.

A. Saint Alexander

B. Blessed Louis Martin

C. Saint Josaphat

D. Blessed Stanislaus

Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton was the first native-born

American canonized by the Catholic Church.

A. True

B. False

The processes of beatification (becoming a Blessed) and

canonization (becoming a saint) have exactly the same

requirements.

A. True

B. False

First one to turn back to Trưởng Tường Long will

receive a prize.

Hello to all my fellow Huynh Truong and Beloved

Emmanuels,

First off, I would like to thank everyone for reading

this long letter. I want to share with you my wonderful

experience at a camp that I attended this past week-

end. During the camp, I received my Huynh Truong

Lãnh Đạo (level 3) certificate, along with other Huynh

Truong from our Doan (Tr. T. Long, Mimi, and Lien)

and Mien Nam (TX, NM, OK, and AR). As I received

the certificate, I felt a heavy weight on my shoulders,

the weight of Doan Emmanuel's survival. I had a sud-

den realization that even though our Doan is big, it

can collapse at anytime if we do not work hard to sus-

tain it.

When I first joined in 1993, our Doan started

out with approximately 50 members and the number

slowly rose to about 250. Then in 1999, the number

plummeted to less than 100 members. At present, we

have over 600, making us the biggest Doan in Mien

Nam and top 5 in the nation.

During this past camp, five of our Truong

also received their khan for the first time: Tr. Huy,

Hiến, Liễu, Quốc, and Phúc. Seeing them at that mo-

ment brought me back to 2005 when I first received

mine, and I want to tell you this: Never feel as if you

are just another member in our Doan because every

one of us has a purpose here. We all have a talent

that God blessed us with, but it is up to each of us to

nourish it and apply it. Whether you have a khan or

not, your opinions are always welcomed, and your

presence is treasured. Some people might ridicule us

because we look like dorks in our uniform, and we

hang around a bunch of kids. However, they do not

understand our purpose. Thieu Nhi is not just an or-

ganization; it is a life style. We are a diverse group

and have made many achievements that others might

not even realize. We work together better than some

multimillion dollar corporation. We can always

count on someone in our Doan to be there in our time

of need.

Lastly, the month of November is the month

of the Saints and Thanksgiving. We should remem-

ber to pray for the souls of our loved ones who left

before us and for the souls that had been abandoned.

Pray for the 117 Vietnamese Martyrs who died for

what they believed in so that we could proclaim our

faith. Also, please remember to pray for our two be-

loved Huynh Truong, Truong Giuse Pham Trung

Trang and Truong Monica Pham Thanh Thuy, who

had passed away. Truong Trang sacrificed a lot of his

time for Thieu Nhi and he will never be forgotten.

Truong Thuy may have passed away very young at

the age of 21, but she had taught us much about the

value of life.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to thank

God for blessing me with a wonderful life, great fam-

ily, great friends, and a fantastic job. I want to thank

my parents for bringing me into this world and stick-

ing by me, fixing me when I step out of line, and

teaching me to be a dependable person. I want to

thank all Huynh Truong for dedicating your time for

Thieu Nhi. Without you, there would be no Thieu

Nhi. Thank you to all you young members in Em-

manuel. Without you, we would not have a purpose

as a Huynh Truong. Lastly, thanks to those who read

our newsletter and also those who brought the News-

letter together.

Emmanuel!!! Muôn Năm!!!

Tr. Vũ Long

The Saints and Saint Makers

One day during mass, a priest said, “All saints

have a past, and all sinners have a future.” What does

this unique quote mean to you? Try to think for a mo-

ment before reading on. Of course, we are all sinners,

regardless of whether we are children, priests, nuns,

religious, or the holiest people on earth. It sound so

negative, but taking from another perspective, “who

have never sinned before raise your hands” would per-

haps sound less offensive. To say that sinners have a

future means that we still have the opportunity to be-

come saints, that the doors of heaven is open to us if

we turn away from sin continuously. But who would

want to become a saint in our days? It seems so old and

boring and not as interesting as the famous icons like

Justin Beiber, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Lil’ Wayne,

Rihanna, etc....But what happened to King David of the

Old Testament who healed people’s soul through his

music, spreading God’s message through his lyrics?

Most of you are probably saying, “What? Who? ”

It also seems that the majority of the world is focused

more on what they think is the most important: priori-

ty—money—fame—popularity—power—riches—

health—intimate relationships—especially praising and

promoting these negativities. I must admit, that the

things mentioned above seem to be beautiful and good.

They bring us happiness when we have them and sad-

ness when we do not have them.

So where is the motivation to become a saint

when our minds are fixed on worldly things? How does

one become a saint? It seems difficult in our modern

world to become a saint because of all of these attach-

ments weighs us down from reaching holiness. One of

the cores to become a saint begins by the rejection of

the things that we obtained from the world and fight

against the temptation of power, lust, and honor. In oth-

er words, we must empty ourselves of these good and

beautiful things so that God can fill us with His self.

Once we reject what the world offers, the world be-

comes the saint maker, for it test us to see how deep

our commitment to God is. This is the major step to-

ward sainthood. For example, before Saint Augustine

offered his life to God, his old self was pursuing of the

philosophy of the world and the pleasures that came

with it. He was skillful in public speaking, which grant-

ed him fame, fortune, and women. He had what he

wanted, but was lacking in happiness. Until one day,

while he was walking and had this uneasiness feeling,

he heard a child chanting, “Pick up and read, pick up

and read.” So he picked up the Bible and read the first

passage that he saw, “Not in carousing and drunken-

ness, not in sexual excess and lust, not in quarreling

and jealousy. Rather, put on the Lord Jesus

Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the

flesh. (Romans 13: 13-14)” He knew with a convic-

tion that God was speaking directly to him. God in-

vited Saint Augustine to empty himself from the

pleasures of the world, and so are we invited to emp-

ty ourselves and take on Jesus Christ.

As we all age and grow older, our conscience

will always remind us that these exterior goods and

beautiful things provide temporary happiness. Which

will you choose? The saints understood this concept

that there is no eternal happiness in this world but

only in God. True happiness is their motivation to

become saints. Why waste time searching for tempo-

rary happiness when we can search for eternal happi-

ness and actually obtaining it? All of the saints who

lived their life faced the burden of the cross to which

God called them. Their lives were painful and brutal.

They lived in poverty with the most poor, served

those who were inflicted with cancer, and died for

the sake of their beliefs. All of these lifestyles seem

unattractive because they do not come close to what

we call happiness in our days, but these actions they

perform were pleasing to God because it is in this

way that love (God’s ultimate law) is represented the

most. Once we receive God, who is love, we must

give the love we receive to others. So that in giving,

we receive more of God’s blessings. In November,

as we reflect and honor our Saints for their courage

to respond to God’s invitation to, “leave the world

and take on the cross,” we should remember that the

opportunity to become a saint is in our hands. And it

begins within our home, sharing the true love we re-

ceived from God by our relationships between par-

ents and siblings. In this way, we are one step closer

to sainthood. God bless, and may the intercession of

our Mother of Perpetual Help guide you on your pil-

grimage to God.

Brother John